Johnnie Ray

John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage persona.Ray was born in Hopewell, Oregon, spending part of his childhood on a farm, eventually moving to Portland, Oregon.